Pennsylvania Deer Hunting

Pennsylvania has been made popular by hunters all across the U.S. for its forests. With having 2.2 million acres in forest or wooded lands, they have a high population of whitetail deer. Of those 2.2 million acres, almost all of it is accessible to whitetail hunters. Harvesting antlered deer in Pennsylvania has increased in numbers since 1915. In 1915, 1,287 antlered deer were taken whereas in 2009, 108,330 antlered deer were taken. Currently Pennsylvania has an antler restriction law that all hunters in the state have to abide by. Most of the state is restricted to only taking bucks with at least 3 points on one antler while a small part of the state can only take bucks that have at least 4 points on one antler. Records show that a majority of hunters support this antler restriction law.

Although Pennsylvania has been long known for its whitetails, the number of tags purchased in the state has gone down rapidly since 1982. Today, Pennsylvania sells just over 1,000,000 licenses each year.

Pennsylvania Whitetail Hunting Facts:
State records show that in 1943, Fritz Janowsky of Bradford County harvested the largest buck by firearm in state history. It scored 189-0.

In 2004, Michael J. Nicola Sr. harvested the largest buck taken by archery method at a score of 178-2 in Allegheny County.

Popular Public Hunting Lands:
Pennsylvania offers 20 State Forests covering 2.2 million acres that are rich in Elk, Whitetail, Bald Eagles, Turkeys, Black Bears, Grouse, Squirrels and other wildlife. Hunting plays a big role in keeping these forests going.

Loyalsock State Forest – 114,494 acres. This popular Forest is prime Hunting area that offers 4 areas that are currently in Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) which offers extra tags for antlerless deer.

There are numerous state parks that are open to public hunting as well.

Pennsylvania Private Hunting Areas:
Do you own private hunting land or offer guided hunts in Pennsylvania? Contact us about a listing in this section!